Export on the rise in first quarter of 2017 – High levels of imports increasing trade deficit

Exports rose again in March, closing at a positive rate the first quarter of 2017.

According to data from the Institute of Statistics INSTAT, exports amounted to nearly ALL 23 billion, growing by 17.2% on a year-on-year basis.

For the first quarter of 2017, exports touched the value of ALL 61.7 billion, nearly 16% more compared with the same period a year ago.

Exports are following the positive trend of the last quarter of 2016, driven increasingly by forward processing sector, but also due to a significant increase in the group “Construction materials and metals”.

According to INSTAT, exports of the group “Textiles and footwear” for the first three months of this year rose by 7.6% on an annual basis and dominated the structure of exports with nearly 46% of the total.

Even the minerals group closed the first quarter positively, despite a slight decline in March.

Imports expanded further in March, with an increasing value of 14.6% over the same period a year ago.

For the first quarter of the year, the total value of imports amounted to ALL 133 billion, 7.5% more compared with the same period a year ago.

The hike in imports is distributed in most commodity groups, which is an indication of a sustained improvement in domestic demand.

The high growth of imports in March has increased the trade deficit compared with a year ago.

For the quarter, the deficit was ALL 71 billion, 1 billion more than in the same period of 2016.

SCAN

*Material i përgatitur nga portali SCAN. Ripublikimi mund të bëhet vetëm kundrejt citimit të autorësisë dhe burimit origjinal.